The mission of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health (ISEMPH) is to foster communication among those who share an interest in using the principles of evolutionary biology to improve individual and community health, and studies of health and disease to advance evolutionary biology.

BYLAWS

Article I. Membership and Dues

Section 1. Membership

Membership is open to anyone who supports the mission of the Society, including physicians and other health professionals, natural and social scientists, scholars in other disciplines, teachers, students, residents, and fellows. The society welcomes members from diverse disciplines, interests, backgrounds, and geographical locations.

Section 2. Benefits of Membership

Members may participate in and vote on all Society matters. The Council may establish additional benefits to members, including but not limited to reduced fees for registration at society meetings and for publication of manuscripts in the Society’s journal, Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health.

Section 3. Dues

The Council, acting on recommendations from the Treasurer, will set the amount and payment deadline for dues. If the finances of the Society permit, dues shall be reduced for students, residents, fellows, emeritus/emerita members, and members from low-income countries. Memberships are for the calendar year; multi-year and lifetime memberships are also available. Members who have not paid dues by the deadline forfeit their membership and all the benefits of membership but are free to rejoin the society. Members who join the Society after paying the non-member annual meeting registration fee will remain members until the end of the following calendar year.

Section 4. Resignation and Expulsion

Members may resign from the Society by notifying the Secretary. The Council reserves the right to expel members whose actions are detrimental to the function or mission of the Society. The Council will establish appropriate procedures, including giving such members advance notice of their threatened expulsion and offering them the opportunity of appealing the Council’s decision.

Article II. Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Society consist of President, President-elect, Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer. They constitute the Executive Committee, which has the authority to act on behalf of the Society between meetings. The Executive Committee approves contracts, proposes a budget for the Society to the Council for approval at the annual business meeting, and has the other responsibilities detailed below.

Section 2. President

The President oversees the affairs of the Society and is responsible for ensuring its welfare. The President signs contracts on behalf of the Society, contracts with external auditors and oversees audits, chairs meetings of the Council, presents annual reports about the Society to the membership, and, upon recommendations by the Council, invites members of the Society to serve as chairs and members of committees.

Section 3. President-elect and Past President

The President-elect and Past President assist the President in carrying out his or her duties. The Past President assumes the functions of the President when the President is absent.

Section 4. Secretary

The Secretary takes minutes of all meetings of the Council and other special meetings, and shares the minutes and other reports with the Council and the Society membership. The Secretary maintains and updates a directory of Society members. Unless the Council makes other arrangements, the Secretary sends out notices about upcoming elections, requests nominations for open positions, and oversees voting and the collection and counting of ballots.

Section 5. Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs of the Society. The Treasurer recommends the amount and payment deadline for dues, collects and deposits dues and other assets received by the Society, maintains appropriate bank accounts, and approves all spending of Society funds. The Treasurer arranges for an annual audit of the Society’s finances, and prepares and submits all necessary forms and taxes to the state and federal governments. Finally, the Treasurer makes periodic reports on the financial state of the Society to the Council and presents an annual financial report to the Society membership.

Section 6. Terms of office

There are elections for President-elect every two years. The President-elect serves two years in this office, followed by two years as President and two years as Past President. The Secretary, and Treasurer are elected for four-year terms; their terms are staggered by two years, such that either the Secretary or Treasurer is elected at the same time as the President-elect. The terms of the officers begin at the end of the meeting at which their elections are announced and expire at the end of the meeting in the year in which their terms expire. The Secretary and Treasurer are eligible for reelection but the Past President is not eligible for reelection as President-elect.

Section 7. Elections

At least three months prior to elections, members will receive notice of upcoming elections and will be offered an opportunity to nominate themselves or other members for any available positions. The Council will then prepare a slate of candidates and the Secretary will send out electronic ballots to the members at least one month before the annual meeting. Votes will be counted and winners announced before the annual meeting. In the case of a tie, the Secretary will decide the winner by lot.

Article III. Council

Section 1. Membership in the Council

The affairs of the Society shall be guided by a Council consisting of the Executive Committee, the chairs of the Standing Committees, four members elected by the membership, and two members appointed by the Council to assure representation of the diversity among the membership. Finally, the Editor-in-Chief of Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health will be an ex-officio member of the Council. Members of the Council serve four-year terms. The Council selects candidates and oversees the preparation of ballots for the election of offices, and establishes appropriate procedures for rotating the elections and appointments to the Council. Members of the Council must be members in good standing of the Society.

Elected Council Members serve 4-year terms, with two elected in each biannual election. Appointed Council Members also serve 4-year terms, with one new member appointed in each election year. Council members completing their terms are not immediately eligible for reappointment or reelection. Council Members who are elected as officers or appointed as Committee Chairs with seats on the Council, will be replaced by appointments or elections depending on the timing of the transition. Members of the current Transitional Council will serve until the end of the 2017 meeting, and will be eligible for future election or appointment.

Section 2. Functions of the Council

a. The Council reviews and approves recommendations from the Treasurer for the Society budget and sets the dues.

b. The Council reviews contracts negotiated by the Publications Committee with the publisher of Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, reviews recommendations of the Publications Committee, and recommends an Editor or Editor-in-Chief to handle the editorial affairs of the journal. In addition, the Council may recommend editors to manage electronic or other venues to promote the exchanges of scientific information or to provide educational resources for students and the public.

c. The Council reviews recommendations of the Meetings Committee and Executive Committee, decides the dates and locations of Society meetings, and recommends chairs of the Local Organizing Committee and the Program Committee.

d. The Council reviews the work of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and approves the ballots and election results.

e. The Council decides on the need for committees, recommends committee chairs and members; and oversees the work of the committees. It may create other Standing Committees and Special Committees that are needed to carry out the mission of the Society.

f. The Council arranges for awarding any prizes that the Society offers.

g. The Council carries out any other actions that it deems in the best interests of the Society. h. The Council appoints people to fill vacancies caused by the death or incapacity of an officer, based on suggestions from the Nominations and Elections Committee.

i. The Council may recommend hiring an Executive Director to manage the business affairs of the Society.

Article IV. Standing Committees

Section 1. Executive Committee

As noted above, the officers of the Society constitute the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Publications Committee

The Publications Committee consists of a chair and four members, all suggested by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council. The Committee recommends policy for the Society’s journal, Evolution, Medicine and Public Health, oversees the journal and the work of the editor, and, when the time comes to appoint a new editor, recommends a person for this position to the Council and the publisher. The Committee judges submissions for any prizes that the Society may offer for the best papers in fields within the field of evolutionary medicine and public health, and recommends winners of these prizes to the Council.

Section 3. Meetings Committee

The Meetings Committee consists of a chair and four members, all suggested by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council. The Committee recommends the time and place for the meetings of the Society to the Council and recommends program committees and local organizing committees to create these meetings.

Section 4. Education and Outreach Committee

The Education and Outreach Committee consists of a chair suggested by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council, and members selected by the chair from Society members who have expressed an interest in the mission of the committee. The committee curates and disseminates educational resources in evolution, medicine, and public health in a wide variety of settings, including print and electronic channels, as well as resources that can be used by Society members to discuss the value of this field, both in academic settings and to the public. The Committee also oversees and provides educational and social opportunities for the student members of the Society.

Section 5. Nominations and Elections Committee

The Nominations and Elections Committee consists of three members suggested by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council. The Past President, who will serve as chair of the committee, is one of these members. The Nominations and Elections Committee collects nominations for officers and for council members from the Secretary, prepares ballots for these positions (subject to review by the Council), and oversees elections. The Nomination and Elections Committee will strive to ensure that candidates represent the diversity of the membership, including diversity of academic discipline, geographical location, and gender. The Executive Committee will appoint the first Nominations and Elections Committee to manage the first election of Society officers and Council Members.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. Scientific meetings

The Society shall have an annual scientific meeting at a time and place to be determined by the Council upon recommendations from the Executive Committee. The Meetings Committee and the Council shall attempt to alternate meetings between the United States and other countries. The Council can opt not to have a scientific meeting on years when holding such a meeting is not practicable.

Section 2. Business meetings

The Society shall have an annual business meeting during the course of its scientific meeting. The business meeting includes reports from the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the chairs of the standing committees, presentation and a vote on approval of the budget, and discussion of any issues raised by members. In years when there is no scientific meeting, the Council shall make provisions for Society business to be conducted electronically.

Section 3. Acceptable behavior at meetings

To maintain an open and respectful community of scientists, the Society does not tolerate illegal or inappropriate behavior at any conference, including violations of applicable laws pertaining to sale or consumption of alcohol or drugs; destruction of property; harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment; and inappropriate or suggestive acts that demean other people by reason of their gender, gender identity or expression, race, socioeconomic status, religion, ethnicity, age, or disability.

Article VI. Amendments

Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by a majority of the Council or by a written petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the members of the Society. Proposed amendments shall be distributed to the members at least 30 days prior to a vote and shall be adopted if approved by sixty percent (60%) of the members.

Article VII. Dissolution

In the event that the Society is dissolved, all assets of the Society shall be transferred to a qualified non-profit organization that, in the opinion of the Council, can best continue to carry out the mission of the Society.